Prosecutor initiates proceedings to recover illegal city expenditures

First Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Fletcher Long has initiated legal proceedings to recover undocumented and illegal expenditures received by five individuals including current and former city officials.

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The Helena Arkansas Daily World - Helena, AR

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Posted Feb. 9, 2013 at 12:02 PM
Updated Feb 9, 2013 at 12:05 PM

Posted Feb. 9, 2013 at 12:02 PM
Updated Feb 9, 2013 at 12:05 PM

First Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Fletcher Long has initiated legal proceedings to recover undocumented and illegal expenditures received by five individuals including current and former city officials.
Long filed a petition to recover undocumented and illegal expenditures in Phillips County Circuit Court on January 17. The petition seeks restitution from former mayor James Valley, former treasurer Michael Boone, current Assistant Helena-West Helena Police Chief Ronald Scott, Victor Jordan and Chanta Mansfield.
According to the court document, Valley, Boone, Jordan, Scott and Mansfield “received funds belonging to the City of Helena-West Helena without proper documentation of the expenditure and in violation of Arkansas law and city ordinances.”
The incident reportedly dates back to 2010. The court document does not list the specific amounts owed by the individuals involved.
The court record states that Valley, Boone, Scott, Jordan and Mansfield have been notified of the “indebtedness due and therefore a rebuttable presumption is created that the violation was committed knowingly.”
Long is asking the court to award damages against each of the individuals in the “amount of the undocumented illegal expenditure plus a civil penalty in amount not less than $100 and not more than $1,000 plus attorney fees for each violation.”
The Arkansas Supreme Court has assigned special Judge Jay Moody to the case. No court date has been set.